Former KU players slated to compete in NBA Summer League

Shane Jackson

Phoenix Suns' Josh Jackson shoots over Dallas Mavericks' Carrick Felix during the second half of an NBA summer league basketball game, Sunday, July 9, 2017, in Las Vegas.

Several former Kansas basketball players will be in action for the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2018 in Las Vegas.

The Summer League is slated to begin Friday and will run through July 17 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. All 30 NBA teams will compete for the first time ever in the 11-day event.

Devonte’ Graham, who was the first Jayhawk selected in the 2018 NBA Draft, is slated to make his debut with the Hornets. Graham told reporters during a mini-camp on Monday that he’s ready to focus on basketball after dealing with the entire draft process over the last few months.

“I’m excited to be in one spot and not traveling from city to city doing different workouts,” Graham said. “The first practice was good.”

Svi Mykhailiuk has already made his debut with the Lakers, who nabbed him with the 47th pick in the second round. Earlier this week, the Lakers squared off against the Sacramento Kings and the Miami Heat during the California Classic in Sacramento, Calif.

Mykhailiuk scored 15 points, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers during a loss to the Kings. He then added a team-high 12 points in a loss to the Heat.

“That dude doesn’t miss,” Lakers rookie Moe Wagner told reporters following the loss to Miami. “I’m not surprised. It’s fun to be on the court with him.”

A pair of undrafted Kansas players will also be in action this summer for their respective teams. Malik Newman, who was signed by the Lakers, missed both games of the California Classic with a left foot sprain. Billy Preston, meanwhile, is a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers Summer League roster.

In addition, the Summer League will feature a number of former Jayhawks who have already spent at least one season in the NBA.

Wayne Selden Jr. is back this July for the Memphis Grizzlies after a breakout showing last summer, in which he was named to the Las Vegas Summer League All-Tournament team after averaging 22.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals over a six-game stretch. The third-year swingman is back in the Summer League, however, after missing 44 games with right quadriceps and knee issues last season.

“I feel like I’m in pretty good shape right now, but you can always get better with it,” Selden told reporters Tuesday during the Utah Jazz Summer League. “So I think that’s the biggest thing for me. I just want to play in as many games as I can next season.”

Josh Jackson will return to Las Vegas for the second consecutive season. After getting selected by the Suns with the No. 4 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Jackson averaged 13.1 points per game in 77 contests during his rookie campaign.

Frank Mason III, a second-round selection by the Kings last summer, has been back in action during the California Classic. Mason played in 52 games last year, averaging 7.9 points and 2.8 assists per contest in his first season.

Both Cliff Alexander and Cheick Diallo will play for the New Orleans Pelicans this summer. Alexander hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2015-16 when he appeared in eight outings for the Portland Trailblazers. Diallo averaged 11.2 minutes per contest in 52 games during his second season with New Orleans. Dwight Coleby, who played for the Jayhawks in 2016-17 before transferring to Western Kentucky, also will get some summer action with the Pelicans.

Perry Ellis, a Wichita native, spent four seasons at KU between 2012-2016. Ellis made the Milwaukee Bucks Summer League team after competing overseas in Australia this past year.

Andrew White also made the Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League roster after playing in 15 games for the Atlanta Hawks during his first season in the NBA this past year. In his first two collegiate seasons, White appeared in 43 games for Kansas (2012-14) before transferring to Nebraska and then ending his career at Syracuse.

For the second consecutive year, ESPN will present every game from Las Vegas via the ESPN App, along with a record 46 games on its linear television channels (ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU).

NBA TV, co-managed by the NBA and Turner Sports, will air 36 games, beginning with the Summer League opener on July 6 when the Indiana Pacers, making their event debut, square off against the Houston Rockets at 2 p.m. NBA TV’s coverage of Day 1 will also feature a 4 p.m. game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic, as well as an 8 p.m. matchup between the Washington Wizards and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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